Recession brings record number of eateries into San Diego Restaurant Week

San Diego Restaurant Week has almost arrived and it's not a
moment too soon for local restaurants, which are feeling the pinch
as the recession deepens.

A record number of San Diego County restaurants -- more than 170
(20 more than last year) -- have signed up to offer three-course
prix-fixe menus during the weeklong dining program, which kicks off
Sunday and runs through Jan. 16. And for the first time this year,
diners can select a $20 menu tier (in addition to the usual
offering of $30 and $40 menus).

Local restaurants are eager to take part in Restaurant Week
because business has been so sharply affected by the recession,
said San Diego Restaurant Week founder Ingrid Croce, who opened
Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar (in honor of her late husband,
singer Jim Croce) in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter in 1985. Among the
high-end downtown restaurants that closed their doors in 2008 were
Max, Jade Theater and Dussini Mediterranean Bistro.

"The economy has played havoc with restaurants. We have such a
small margin of profit, especially in California, and this has been
a tough, tough period," she said. "This program is seen as a boon
to business and an opportunity to kick start the year for diners to
get out there and visit their favorite places and try new places,
especially at these prices."

The new $20 menu program was added this year not because of the
recession but because many lower-priced local restaurants had
complained that they not only couldn't participate in Restaurant
Week, but that they actually lost business during the promotion to
participating restaurants, Croce said.

Fifteen restaurants have signed up to offer the $20 option,
including two new participants with outlets in North County -- On
the Border (which is offering a build-your-own fajita plate among
its entree choices) and Hunter Steakhouse, where diners can choose
between three appetizers, three entrees (petite prime rib, mushroom
chicken or broiled salmon) and three desserts, with soup or salad
and two side dishes.

John Schneider, owner of the Hunter Steakhouses in Oceanside and
Mission Valley, said he joined the program at the lowest price
point this year to reintroduce the public to his restaurants.
Schneider purchased the steakhouses from his former employer,
Paragon Restaurant Group, last October and he has redecorated and
upgraded both locations.

"I wanted to get the word out that we're now locally owned and
operated and I thought this would be a good way to invite people
back in," Schneider said, adding that he chose the $20 menu level
to make a point about the value his restaurants offer.

"People are looking for value these days and we have a great
menu for a great price," Schneider said. "We've always offered a
salad and two sides with our entrees, while many other places are a
la carte. So for Restaurant Week, we added on an appetizer and a
small dessert to show people that we offer a whole bunch of food
for a great price."

One of North County's newest restaurants, 333 Pacific Steak
& Seafood Restaurant in Oceanside, is introducing itself to the
region's diners with a $30 prix-fixe menu. The oceanfront
restaurant, on the ground floor of the Wyndham time shares resort
at 333 Pacific St., is the latest eatery in San Diego's Cohn
Restaurant Group (which includes The Prado, Indigo Grill, Island
Prime, Blue Point, Thee Bungalow, Dakota Grill & Spirits and
many others). Dinner entrees at 333 Pacific, which opened for
dinner last week, range from $22 to $42.

Also making its debut at Restaurant Week is Kitchen 1540, which
opened in November at the L'Auberge Del Mar resort. The restaurant
is offering a $40 prix-fixe menu, with entrees including a Kurobuta
pork shoulder, Scottish salmon, beef tenderloin or roasted
chicken.

And while the Brigantine Family of Restaurants (with locations
in Del Mar, Poway and Escondido) have been participating in
Restaurant Week since the beginning, the company will use the
weeklong program to introduce its two newest locations -- Zocalo 4S
(which opened last fall in the 4S Ranch area of Rancho Bernardo)
and the Steakhouse at Azul La Jolla (which changed its name and
menu last fall).

"We (the Brigs, Zocalo and the Steakhouse at Azul La Jolla) have
found that our participation in Restaurant Week exposes us to a lot
of guests we might not see otherwise. They may get to us
eventually, but the special pricing for Restaurant Week encourages
people to deviate from their regular dining patterns and try
something new. Maybe we'll be their new favorite restaurant sooner
rather than later," said Steve Floyd, corporate chef for the
Brigantine group.

The rest of the participating restaurants offering $30 and $40
menus (tax and tip not included) include many in North County. For
penny-pinching gourmets, this is an opportunity to sample the fare
at some of the county's most expensive restaurants for as little as
a third of the cost of a regular meal.

"Restaurants don't do this to make money, they do this to build
their base," Croce said. "In the beginning, restaurants were
skeptical about whether they should spend a lot of money to select
menu items that would entice guests, but now we find that they're
really working hard to create a menu that expresses the cuisine of
their restaurant so diners will come back."

Organized by the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant
Association, San Diego Restaurant Week started five years ago with
73 participants and it has become so popular that it was expanded
in 2008 to twice a year. More than 250,000 diners took part in the
local program in 2008. Restaurant week will return again this year
Sept. 13-18.

A full listing of participants and their menus is online at
www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com
.
Restaurants are listed alphabetically, as well as by region and
price. Reservations are snapped up fast, particularly for the
top-end eateries, so early reservations (by phone or online, to the
restaurants) are highly recommended, Croce said.

"This is a win-win for both the diners and the restaurants,"
Croce said. "Diners can have a great meal for a low price and they
can support these restaurants that are struggling. If you want your
favorite restaurant to stay open this year, then you need to get
out there and support them. It's really tough out there right
now."